Desiree Probolsky
My son Asher was born with a major heart defect and two open heart surgeries have saved his life. He developed “normally” and then had a major regression at 20 months old, and soon after was diagnosed with severe, nonverbal autism. I felt as though I had lost my living child. I went through years of heartbreak and exhaustion trying to “fix” him before I realized that I was suffering and just wanted to be my Asher’s mom and love him just as he is. While I believe in giving every child all resources available to help them reach their potential, my mission is to bring together all special needs moms and medical moms around the world for community and connection. I recently launched Situation Mama online. It is a place where we can find our joy while honoring our grief. Where we can normalize the lives we live and get back the pieces of ourselves that we had to lose along the way in order to take care of our babies and families. A place where we can build friendships and walk each other back home to ourselves because we understand each other’s pain. The most powerful thing a mother can do for her kids—and whole family—is to start with herself. I live in Irvine with my husband Adam and our three kids Olivia (12), Isabela (10), and Asher (8). I am obsessed with coffee, avocados, and morning walks.